Establishing a Lawn from Sod

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Establishing a Lawn from Sod Agriculture and Natural Resources FSA2042 Establishing a Lawn From Sod Aaron Patton Warm-season grasses popular in sodding, follow the steps outlined in Assistant Professor - Arkansas, such as bermudagrass this publication. It may not be practi­ Turfgrass Specialist (Cynodon spp.), zoysiagrass (Zoysia cal to do everything listed here, but spp.), St. Augustinegrass (Steno­ successful sodding should always John Boyd taphrum secundatum) and centipede- include detailed attention to soil grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides), are preparation, site grading and water­ Professor - usually established from sprigs, plugs ing, as they are integral steps in the Weed Scientist or sod. Tall fescue (Festuca arundi­ installation process. nacea), a cool-season grass, is also available by sod. Sodding is fast and General Sod Specifications reliable compared to the additional time and inputs needed to establish a The sod should be: lawn from seed. Table 1 lists species 1. Guaranteed as to type and cultivar and cultivars of sod available in of turfgrass requested and of uni­ Arkansas. For more information about form height, color and texture. choosing the best adapted species and Blue-tag certified sod is available cultivars for your lawn, see FSA2112, from some producers in Arkansas Choosing a Grass for Arkansas Lawns. through a program administered The easiest way to install sod is by the Arkansas State Plant to hire a landscaper. Should you Board. This blue-tag certification decide to save money and do your own guarantees consumers they are, in Table 1. Turfgrass species and cultivars available by sod and suitable for Arkansas lawns. Cultivars With Sod Availability Species for Arkansas Lawns Cost/yd2† Bermudagrass ‘Celebration’, Common, ‘Midlawn’, ‘Patriot’, $1.25 - $1.50 ‘Quickstand’, ‘Tifsport’, ‘Tifway’ and others Centipedegrass ‘TennTurf’ and others $3.00 - $3.50 Tall fescue‡ ‘Apache’, ‘Avenger’, ‘Barvado’, ‘Bonanza’, $3.00 - $4.50 ‘Cayenne’, ‘Cochise III’, ‘Durana’, ‘Dynasty’, ‘Finelawn Elite’, ‘Firebird’, ‘Greenkeeper’, ‘Guardian’, ‘Inferno’, ‘Jaguar’, ‘Justice’, ‘Master- piece’, ‘Millennium’, ‘2nd Millennium’, ‘Planta- tion’, ‘Rebel’, ‘Rebel II’, ‘Rebel Exeda’, ‘Red Coat’, ‘Rembrandt’, ‘Scorpio’, ‘Shenandoah’, ‘Solara’, ‘Turbo’, ‘Watchdog’ and others Arkansas Is St. Augustinegrass ‘Raleigh’, ‘Palmetto’ and others $3.00 - $4.00 Our Campus Zoysiagrass ‘Cavalier’, ‘Crowne’, ‘El Toro’, ‘Emerald’, $2.00 - $4.00 ‘Meyer’, ‘Palisades’, ‘Zorro’ and others †Costs vary by cultivar and sod producer. Approximate costs listed. Visit our web site at: ‡Tall fescue sod often contains 10% bluegrass or netting to help the sod hold together since tall fescue https://www.uaex.uada.edu lacks rhizomes and stolons. University of Arkansas, United States Department of Agriculture, and County Governments Cooperating fact, purchasing the species lawn. Sod is typically sold as 5. Rough grade. and cultivar they have square yards. Therefore, the total requested. square feet of the area should be If extensive grading is neces­ divided by nine in order to deter­ sary, stockpile existing topsoil and 2. Relatively free of weeds, mine how many square yards of replace it after the rough grade is insects and diseases. sod you need to order. Typically, set. The rough grade should slope gradually away from the house at 3. Thin cut (1/2 to 3/4 inch of one pallet of sod will contain least 15 feet in all directions. A soil) of uniform thickness. Soil about 50 yd2 of sod or about 1-foot drop in 50 feet will usually texture of the sod should 450 ft2. Order about 10 percent supply adequate surface drainage. closely match the soil texture more sod than you anticipate Mowing and erosion problems of the existing lawn soil. needing to account for calculation may arise when slopes steeper errors and waste that occurs than 4:1 (1 foot drop every 4 feet) 4. Moist, freshly cut sod deliv­ when cutting sod around corners ered within 24 hours of har­ and edges. are established. Alternatives to a vest and protected from sun steep grade include terraces, and wind during transport. 3. Control perennial weeds. retaining walls or planting a ground cover. 1. Soil test. If perennial weeds or undesirable grasses exist on the 6. Replace topsoil. A soil test provides key site, the first step is weed control information including pH, potas­ Redistribute or add topsoil. (Figure 1). A typical example is a sium and phosphorus levels of This is necessary on sites with common bermudagrass yard soil. Soil testing is free through poor soil fertility. Approximately renovation to zoysiagrass. In this county Cooperative Extension Ser­ 19 cubic yards of topsoil create a case, it is important to control the vice offices. Collect soil samples in layer 6 inches deep over 1,000 bermudagrass before planting. a plastic bucket from the upper 4 square feet. If suitable topsoil is Roundup (glyphosate) is the to 6 inches of soil from ten or not available, modify the existing most commonly used herbicide more locations around the yard. soil. If the topsoil lacks organic for preplant weed control. Make Remove any vegetative material matter, incorporate peat, decom­ the spray solution by adding such as stems and leaves. Air-dry posed manure, composted chicken 2 2/3 ounces of 41 percent and mix the samples thoroughly. litter or composted rice hulls at 1 Roundup per gallon of water. Take about 1 pint of the mixture to 3 cubic yards per 1,000 square Glyphosate is sold under many feet. Mix these materials with to the county Extension office for trade names other than Roundup. analysis. Make sure to test your the native soil at least 6 to 8 soil at least two months prior to Concentrations of these other inches deep. establishing your lawn. This will formulations vary from 1 to 41 allow ample time to receive the percent. Always read the label results of your soil test as well as before using. Do not expect com­ provide time to apply and incorpo­ plete control of bermudagrass rate recommended nutrients prior after applying Roundup once. to laying sod. If topsoil is needed Research indicates it takes three from off-site, it is necessary to applications of Roundup over the have this soil tested as well. growing season (waiting 3 to 4 weeks for regrowth before making 2. Determine area. the next application) to achieve greater than 90 percent control. A key step in establishing a Figure 1. Bare soil clean of weeds prior to sod installation. lawn by sod is to determine the 4. Remove trash. size of the lawn. This will aid in calculating how much sod, lime Remove all wood, concrete, 7. Apply amendments. and fertilizer you will need to pipe, rock and construction scrap order to establish the lawn. The to prevent interference with turf- Uniformly apply nitrogen, best way to do this is to divide grass root growth and water move­ phosphorous, potassium and lime your lawn into several squares, ment. Insist the builder not use according to soil test recommenda­ rectangles or circles. Calculate the site as a dumping ground for tions (Tables 2 and 3). Thoroughly the area of these smaller shapes paint, concrete, etc. Stumps not mix lime, fertilizer and organic and then add them together to removed will eventually decay, amendments into the upper 6 to 8 determine the total size of the leaving depressions in the lawn. inches of soil. Avoid tilling when Table 2. Arkansas phosphorus and potassium recommendations for established and newly planted lawns. Phosphorus Fertilizer Recommendations Potassium Fertilizer Recommendations Soil Test P Level and Concentration Range (ppm) Soil Test K Level and Concentration Range (ppm) Below Optimum Above Optimum Below Optimum Above Optimum ≤ 25 > 25 ≤ 100 > 100 2 2 - - - - - - - - P Fertilizer Rate, lbs P2O5/1,000 ft /yr - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - K Fertilizer Rate, lbs K2O/1,000 ft /yr - - - - - - - - 2 0 2 0 Table 3. Arkansas lime recommendations for newly planted lawns. Soil Texture Soil Water pH Level Interpretation Below Optimum Medium Optimum High Soil Test Ca < 5.0 5.0 - 5.4 5.5 - 5.7 5.8 - 6.2 6.3 - 6.9 > 6.9 2 ppm - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - lbs CaCO3 lime/1,000 ft - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - < 500 80* 57 46 0 0 0 500 - 1,500 115 92 69 0 0 0 1,501 - 2,250 138 115 92 0 0 0 > 2,250 138 138 115 0 0 0 *Lime rates are for CaCO3 (Ag lime) sources that contain a 90% Calcium Carbonate Equivalent. Adjust the lime rate for other sources of lime. the soil is too wet to avoid heavy steel drag mat, soil blade, relation to walks and driveways. damaging the soil structure. For plank drag or tiller. Allow one Driveways and walks should be more information on liming, see week for the soil to settle before about 1/2 inch above the soil sur­ FSA6134, Liming Your Lawn. final grading. Irrigation or signifi­ face to allow for the soil that cant rainfall will aid in settling comes on the sod. Fill any low 8. Install drainage and the soil. A properly prepared spots that collect and hold water irrigation. planting bed should be firm after irrigation or rainfall. enough to walk on with the top 1/2 Install subsurface drainage Take care not to destroy or inch of soil loosened. The soil will and irrigation before final grading damage existing trees. Tilling require further watering or rolling and smoothing. Drainage lines around trees will cut a large if footprints are deeper than 1/2 are usually placed 6 to 18 inches percentage of a tree’s surface inch. During final soil preparation, deep. Place irrigation pipe below roots, which can weaken or kill examine height and slope of soil in the frost line and normal tillage the tree. Trees can also be killed depth (12 to 18 inches). Work to by placing large amounts of soil complete the grading before dig­ over the roots because this ging irrigation trenches and practice deprives the roots of installing heads, because it will oxygen.
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